The UFO "coverup" argument sustains an extraordinary controversy. At its heart is the quest for proof of the Ultimate Secret. The Ultimate Secret purports to be this: UFOs are real. They are extraterrestrial in origin. The extraterrestrials (or ETs) are already visiting us. Some of their craft have crashed and been retrieved into military custody. In some cases open contact has taken place, in a covert setting, a form of "alien liaison".

Alien technology, retrieved either through "crashes" or direct "exchanges", has been examined, subjected to attempts at reverse engineering, and is being used in secret advanced technologies, such as extraordinary advances in aircraft design. Governments, particularly the United States, know this and have kept it from us.

There has been a concerted campaign by some of the parties involved in the cover-up to bring things out into the open. Some participating individuals have started to come forward. This process is gathering momentum. Extraordinary disclosures are at hand. The implications are mind boggling. Your rational reaction to all this will inevitably be complete scepticism or outright rejection.

If it is not, you are presumably a UFO enthusiast, many of whom enshrine this sort of material like an article of faith in the litany of uncritical belief that pervades much of the popular interest in UFOs. The famous Roswell "UFO crash" and the notorious MJ-12 saga are the cornerstones of the "ultimate secret" in the United States. Ultimately, there is no absolute proof of any of it. It is impossible to say with any certainty just what is going on. We could be dealing with: real extraterrestrial contact a cosmic Watergate in which Churchill's wartime maxim of counterintelligence may rule, namely:

"Truth is so important it must be guarded by a bodyguard of lies", delusions and lies on a large scale, motivated by either hoaxer or aberrant mentalities in its grandest expressions, one of the biggest hoaxes in history, a Space Age technological expression of the urban legend syndrome, cosmic folktales which moved my friend Jerome Clark to label such stories as "soldiers' tales, or the horrendous secrets I learned in the service", some sort of extraordinary clandestine intelligence gambit, an exercise in disinformation and deception a paranoia and conspiracy buff's garden of delights.

It is possible we could be seeing a combination of any or none of these possibilities. Such tales are not limited to the US. Here too in Australia we have had our share of these seemingly apocryphal stories. The number of them is striking. Most of them are unknown to even the most seasoned UFO enthusiast and are told here for the first time.

In trying to unravel the convoluted trail these tales have left, I almost feel like the fictional FBI special agent Fox Mulder of the hit TV series "The X Files", as a maze of mirrors lead off in bizarre directions, supported by even more bizarre and unbelievable stories.

CLASSIFIED: SECRET AUSTEO
(AUSTRALIAN EYES ONLY)

We met at a location in Parramatta on August 1st, 1990. The topic of confidential discussion a strange tale about extraordinary activity at an Australian military research facility. I had requested a face to face meeting with my informant. She was telling me a startling story told to her by a senior RAAF mechanic.

According to the tale, sometime prior to 1985, the mechanic had been seconded, along with various other personnel, to work on between 12 to 14 strange "craft", held at a secure hangar facility. Most of the "craft" were very unusual in appearance like "Star Wars" type craft, with strange projections underneath. Only one was round in appearance, and was apparently 12 feet in diameter. Some of the objects had been opened. Some seem very complex, others were very simple looking, with what appeared to be hydraulics, seemingly totally inconsistent, with their apparent purpose space travel.

The seconded personnel were apparently very frightened of this work. They did not know what they might encounter. Creatures had been recovered from some of these craft. They were reportedly several types, but the mechanic was best informed on 2 "males", who were identical to human beings externally, but had completely different internal organs, save for smaller lungs. The entities were deceased.

The mechanic took his partner, my informant out to the boundary fence of the complex and pointed out the hangar facility where he had been forced to work. He was convinced that the "craft" were not from this world. My informant, a journalist, accepts the story her former partner told her. She herself saw a UFO in the Salisbury area and seemed convinced of some sort of connection with the strange claims of the RAAF man. I asked the woman to put me in contact with him, but to date no confirmation from him or anyone else for that matter has occurred. Other stories however continue to emerge.

The facility in question was the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) at Salisbury, a RAAF/Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) operation, where AUSTEO (Australian Eyes Only) security prevails. The Defence Research Centre at Salisbury (DRCS), north of Adelaide, is Australia's largest research and development complex, with 3 key defence labs (Advanced Engineering, Electronics research and weapons systems research), employing more than 2700 scientists, engineers, technicians and back up personnel.

These labs are also connected with smaller facilities elsewhere, such as the Aeronautical Research Laboratory (ARL), Melbourne. DRCS has the advantage of RAAF Edinburgh Air Force Base next door, with its important research and aircraft testing facilities. One of the most interesting developments to come out of DRCS was Project Winnin or the Hoveroc, an anti ship missile decoy. It is a hovering cigar shaped solid fuel rocket that can be launched and then hovers and provides controlled sideways movement an extraordinary achievement.

SALISBURY SAUCERS?

Another source, a well known TV journalist, told me of a story he had heard. Sometime during the seventies a TV crew camera man known to him had allegedly been at Salisbury as part of a media contingent, apparently involved in a corporate film, or some such similar project, for the RAAF.

During their presence at the facility they wandered off without a military escort. They came upon a hangar which housed a saucer type of craft. Their examination of it was cut short with the arrival of military security who hurried them away very quickly and pressured them to not disclose what they had seen. Such stories are of an apocryphal nature and do not invite a lot of confidence.

In isolation they are just provocative stories. When such stories start to pop up on a regular basis, it is reasonable to ask what is going on are these tales legitimate or are they the stuff of "urban legends".

APOTHEOSIS - fact or fiction?

An Australian businessman, who travels extensively overseas, told me that he had been shown the title page and introduction of a document purporting to describe an Australian operation called either Operation or Project APOTHEOSIS. Apotheosis means either exaltation to the rank of a god, the glorification of any person or a deified or glorified ideal, perhaps a fitting title? The document allegedly referred to "modules" and "aliens" being ready for transfer from an Australian facility.

The business man indicated to me he believed the facility in question was Salisbury! He claims to have sighted the document in Britain, via a Ministry of Defence contact. The "briefing report" was allegedly dated around 1986 or 1987, and was from a Air Vice Marshall Mackay to a General Richards, at least that's what he recollects. I have discussed this material with a number of people who might be privy to this sort of information.

No one was able to confirm these details to date. My source even suggested rather ominously that it might prove hazardous to pursue the APOTHEOSIS connection. Such concerns have not materialized. The only connection to UFOs I have found to date with the word Apotheosis comes from a less than convincing source.

The second volume of bizarre collections of wild UFO conspiracy fodder appearing under the title The Matrix II: The Abduction & Manipulation of Humans using advanced technology" thanks "Nexus Seven" for selections from his 1989 unpublished manuscript Top Secret/Apotheosis - A Multilateral Set of Hypotheses. This unlikely connection may be the inspiration of the Apotheosis story.

Such tales, while curious are proof of nothing. They however give substance, albeit of a dubious kind, to the widely held belief that secret UFO activity and research has been carried out for years at remote sites and restricted areas in various locations including South Australia (Salisbury, Woomera, and the Nullarbor), Northern Territory (Pine Gap), and New South Wales (near Nowra and the St. George Basin on the south coast).

PINE GAP PARANOIA

Pine Gap (code named 'Merino') located near Alice Springs and described as a "Joint Defence Space Research Facility", has long been a subject of concern and attracted some mystique, principally because of its clandestine role in intelligence gathering. Much is known about its sensitive role as a ground station for the US defence satellite programme and its part in the NSA and CIA presence in Australia. With this sort of shadowy activity, it should not be surprising that Pine Gap has become a focus of a number of apocryphal UFO related stories.

The now defunct Nation Review reported on Pine Gap's role in "scifi research" in its "Spying Around" column, in 1974. William H. Martin stated:

The Pine Gap research facility near Alice Springs has managed to keep secret, until now, one of the most unbelievable research projects in the world. The United States has been carrying out continuous research into electromagnetic propulsion (EMP for short) at Pine Gap since it was established in 1966 ...

I understand that last minute flaws in the design and operation of the EMP vehicles have probably put the completion date back by four years (to 1979). Research into electromagnetic propulsion began in the United States soon after world war two. After some successful results it became necessary to move the experimentation from populated areas to more remote spots....

Security aspects of the EMP project have included hypnotic and post hypnotic keys implanted in personnel prior to their acceptance into the project ....

William H. Martin was apparently a pseudonym for a writer on intelligence matters and the name of a major NSA defector, perhaps the pseudonym was an inside joke. Nothing further appeared on that curious account, except for Stan Deyo's airing of the same story in his book The Cosmic Conspiracy" in 1978. He was a proponent of top secret "flying saucer" research or what he referred to as "electro gravitic propulsion systems".

Retired NASA scientist and UFO researcher Dr. Richard Haines alludes to an undated newspaper story, describing how a Perth newspaper received two visitors claiming to be Pine Gap employees. They allegedly spoke of "electromagnetic devices which manifested themselves as UFOs and even alien beings at Pine Gap." Professor John Frodsham of Western Australia was told of the experience of 3 roo shooters.

They alleged that at about 4.30 am, one morning, from a ridge overlooking Pine Gap, they witnessed a camouflaged door open up within the facility. A circular metallic looking craft rose vertically and silently and then took off at high speed.

A CRASH RETRIEVAL IN THE DESERT?

Another source told me he knew of at least 3 separate UFO crashes in Australia. They were allegedly the focus of an operation devoted to retrievals of the objects and any beings present. Australian and US military teams intent on "contact" apparently used individuals with histories of UFO encounters to help identify possible event locations. My source claims these individuals apparently come from military ranks. One alleged incident was described in great detail.

My source describes the following extraordinary incident, in which he claims to have been a direct participant. I have not been able to verify this story due to concerns that any attempt to check his bonafides may draw unwanted attention to him, a frustrating or convenient Catch 22, depending on your point of view. While the details seem unbelievable, I have heard various elements of the story as features in other unrelated episodes. This does not validate the story but it makes it at least a fascinating yarn that may yet yield confirmatory details.

In about 1977 a UFO, first seen as a purple green "fireball", was observed to "crash" near the South Australian, Western Australia border, some distance north of the Eyre Highway. A retrieval team was on location within hours and confirmed the presence of a large damaged object, completely unlike any conventional aircraft. Smaller than a Boeing, it had something of a triangular appearance. There was charcoal coloured debris present.

The team quickly verified that two men had already entered the crashed UFO. One of them, indicating he was with the transport division of the Australian army, had emerged from the craft in a somewhat dazed condition. He stated that one of the UFO occupants was still alive. He was subjected to immediate decontamination procedures. The man's companion was apparently determined to be a US citizen. He was separated from the Australian and taken into custody.

Allegedly he was determined to be AWOL and was taken back to the US. The Australian army transport driver was subjected to standard interrogation procedures. He was returned to his vehicle and escorted to his destination and then relocated to Exmouth for two weeks of intensive interrogation and debriefing designed to ensure he was not a security threat to the operation.

The retrieval group verified the presence of two beings inside the craft. One was deceased. The other indicated signs of life, uttering a slight squealing noise possibly indicative of being in pain. Both appeared to be pot bellied, with arms that seemed thinner and longer than normal. They were both about 4'6" to 5' in height. Their eyes appeared to be wider than normal and looked black. No ears or hair was noticed. My informant did not participate in the actual removal of the beings and craft but verified that the site was totally cleaned up leaving no evidence of any crash incident.

The retrieval operation was allegedly part of a joint US-Australian operation to recover alien technology and lifeforms. Military personnel who had been assessed and determined to have a history of verified UFO sightings, were used in an "outer cell" operation to locate apparent sighting "hot spots". Once the site was verified as active the retrieval/contact team was sent in. Operations of this nature were alleged to have occurred in the Nullarbor area and near Marble Bar. My source claimed he was aware of 4 apparent UFO crash events.

My source insists that what he told me and an associate is true. A certain bitterness enters his recollections, given what he claims to have gone through. There is much that I cannot describe because of concerns about his well being if the stories are true. He said to me, "You might think this shit, but it is true... All my stories would be verified." When I indicated that I would like to air these stories for the purpose of possible verification, and I indicated concern about possible repercussions for him, he had some misgivings.

He was concerned that there were things he had said that perhaps he should not have said, particularly to my associate who first heard his story in a non investigative setting. But then finally he concluded, "If they get wind of me, stiff shit!" This might be mere bravado or a nice flourish for a yarn spinner. Which is appropriate I cannot yet be certain. There was much in this story that troubles me.

Intriguing as this account is, it has not been confirmed.

Some possible tantalising links have surfaced that may be connected. For example, I have seen a JIO document originally classified SECRET that confirmed the Joint Intelligence Organisation maintained a secret document resource called the BOLIDE file. It seemed to be anchored to the premise that "UFOs" could involve the chance of retrieval of Soviet hardware and therefore contribute some useful intelligence.

It appeared that JIO had a "rapid intervention" capability as they had been able to institute prompt widespread ground searches in suspected "hardware" crashes. They did this through "special access" channels. This operation may be similar to US activity operating under the code name Project Moondust. Could this have been involved in the operation described by my source? Clearly further confirmatory information is required before any definite conclusions can be drawn.

"ALIEN LIAISON" DOWN UNDER?

Best selling author, Timothy Good, argues for a cosmic "cover up" in his books, Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO cover-up, Beyond Top Secret - The Worldwide UFO Security Threat, and Alien Liaison - The Ultimate Secret. The anecdotes I have described so far hint at such a scenario down under. Other stories go further, much further.

One of the most bizarre and unbelievable stories I have come across involves a man who claims not only alien contact and abduction, but to have been taken aboard a UFO and flown into a base beneath Pine Gap, where evidence of "alien liaison" between aliens and the military and government was occurring on a cosmic scale!

"Greg", as I will call him, had a very strange story to tell me. The circumstances of its telling, were almost as strange as the details it contained. It is a story of alienation in the sense that we were dealing with an individual caught up in a complex milieu of his own making, with its basis either in fact or fiction. If true, albeit unlikely, we are dealing with an alien nation and alien liaison. This situation may have been more about the inner self of "Greg" than any alien reality, but I'll let you be the judge.

On December 22nd, 1992, I received a call from a woman. She indicated her 22 year-old husband - Greg - had a big interest in UFOs, but that an event that had occurred the previous night had alarmed Greg. He reluctantly came to the phone and confirmed the story his wife had related, namely that he had seen 2 strange looking men standing in the front yard of their country NSW home at about 8.45 p.m. The weather was clear but the men seemed to be wearing long dark coats like rain coats. He turned to come inside, then found they had suddenly disappeared.

A strange story? The "real" reason for Greg's concern emerged slowly in the conversation that followed. He had not shared this with anyone, even his wife. These were not just "men" - they were "men in black" (MIBs) a bizarre aspect of the fringe world of UFO paranoia, the sinister UFO "silencers". They were watching him, it seems, because he was trying to break away from a near life long "alien liaison".

They came into his life at a troubling time. At five, Greg's father had died. Some children have "imaginary friends", Greg had his "men in black". They were friendly, normal looking human beings. They appeared in numerous settings in his room at night, in the park to play, or at a pool. It was all innocuous stuff. Then later as the "relationship" developed, the "men" gave Greg a device like a hand held computer device, that showed moving colour scenes, like a miniature TV. This was allegedly in about the late seventies.

When he was about 12 he started having the experience of finding himself in a strange room. He found he was onboard a craft. He had no idea how he got there or how he got back. This happened a number of times, where he wasn't aware of going and returning, only of being there onboard a UFO. He was escorted by a group of normal looking human beings. Then the experiences started to change. The "men in black" would approach him like before and ask him to meet at certain rendezvous points. There he would be driven to a bush setting, where a craft would be on the ground. He would go onboard and be taken on rides and shown things.

At about 14 he had the first sense of "them", other life forms on the UFOs other than the human beings, little aliens. It seemed he was being "groomed" for some form of "service". Everything started to change, he claimed. The craft would then be actually going to secret bases. Greg told me, "I had their trust. But when I started realising what sort of mistake I had made ... when I had seen things being done, I wanted to get out. I didn't know how to handle it."

He found he was not alone in this sort of cultivated relationship. He became aware of a number of people like himself who seemed to participating as well in these "alien adventures". Greg claimed that what alarmed him about his "alien liaison" relationship was what he saw going on at the secret bases he claims he went to. He claims "abductions" were occurring. He described seeing people being subjected to cruel abduction procedures in the bases.

He saw the beings involved as ultimately cruel and ruthless and began to fear for his own safety. His perception was that he was being evolved into a "men in black" type role. His descriptions of activities and places vary from the elaborate to the vague. Greg described his first trip to the Pine Gap under ground facility. It is both simple and exotic, perhaps the stuff of fantasy, or alienation.

"(It was) viewed on an image screen, not through windows. The screens would automatically switch off. The thing took over and guide you through the actual opening. Its a big opening... It would split.

Two pieces would slide open... Its like your travelling through a tube .... (for about) 15 to 30 seconds before you actually come to the base itself. The actual complex had ships there the height almost of telegraph poles. The roofing system was much higher...."

In the base there were men working on "repairs", laboratories, glass houses, food storage areas, and other facilities. Greg claimed that it was his intention not to continue with this "alien liaison" relationship. He feared for his safety. That was the story that I unravelled from him. The alleged "men in black" presence stepped up. On Christmas Day, 1992, both Greg and his wife saw 3 men in the adjacent paddock, at 8.45 p.m. They disappeared suddenly, leaving no trace of their presence.

Greg's wife called again on December 28th in a state of panic. Greg had gone out into the backyard. As he returned his wife saw what seemed to be a flash and "explosion" that seemingly knocked Greg off his feet and left behind a burning hole, which lasted 10 to 15 minutes. Photos were taken of the burning hole, which I have copies of. To Greg the significance of this event was that "they" were intimidating him into compliance and submission.

When Greg and his wife holidayed at a location near Sydney, I took the opportunity, in company with friend and psychologist, Dick Warburton, to met with the couple. We wanted to see if this was the stuff of fantasy or delusion. Greg's wife had not been made privy to the "alien liaison" material but was clearly supportive of him.

Dick and I were in a quandary. Greg did not seem to have had exposure to the kind of UFO literature and material which could have inspired this type of story. However, we were uncomfortable with the dynamics of the situation and the bizarre and elaborate tale described. As we stopped at a service (gas) station on the outskirts of the town on our late return to Sydney, I wryly said to Dick, "If there is any truth to this story, we might not make it back to Sydney." We did make it back to Sydney without incident. Perhaps that mirrors the perspective we should hold on this affair.

I tried to keep in contact. I received a Christmas card from them for 1993. After that there has been no further contact and I have lost track of them. It would be easy for us to rationalise all of this as the product of story telling on the part of Greg. We were never absolutely certain of the ultimate status of the affair, except for the reality that there was not a shred of compelling evidence to back up the whole bizarre milieu.

UFOs - THE OFFICIAL INSIDE STORY

Given the intriguing but apocryphal nature of these and many other stories, there can be no doubt about why many researchers have wanted to penetrate the military restrictions on examining the government UFO files. I have done that and gone somewhat further, tracking down key players in the government secret involvement in the UFO controversy. That story is substantially different to the strange tales you have just read.

The official story I have been able to put together is based on direct access to their files and numerous discussions with participants in the official and confirmable story. One thing should be stated. With regard to the RAAF Directorate of Air Force Intelligence files I am satisfied that I have had access to a generally unbroken record of files reaching back to the 1950s. I have accessed the old Department of Aviation files. Other files remain to be examined that have bigger obstacles. These include the JIB/JIO (now Defence Intelligence organisation) files and ASIO files.

Attempts have been made to examine any holdings they may have without success. As far as I am aware the RAAF files are the most detailed holdings of official files, but without access to possible holdings with JIO and ASIO it is impossible to be certain if this is the case.